UNFI retail media network: how the UNFI Media Network works for brands and independent grocers

A wholesaler runs it, not a retailer. UNFI supplies natural product superstores, independent grocers and regional chains. UMN offers its retail customers a ready-made way to sell media, and offers its suppliers one place to buy it (P2PI, 28 May 2024). Louis Martin, UNFI's president of wholesale, said retailers keep ownership of their customer relationships. A retailer can also bolt UMN onto an existing retail media network or take the full suite (Grocery Dive, 24 May 2024).

That makes the headline number easy to misread. The 30,000 locations are UNFI's customer network, not stores that sell UMN media today. UNFI said at launch that it was in talks with top regional partners and that several were signing up (Grocery Dive, 24 May 2024). How many retailers have since joined is not public. A brand planning reach should ask for the list of live banners.

The model also explains who benefits. A natural food brand that already ships through UNFI can reach many small grocers at once, instead of signing a deal with each chain. Independents get media income without building an ad sales team. Wakefern, a retailer-owned cooperative, offers its members something similar, but from inside one cooperative rather than a distributor.

Onsite and in-app. Banners appear on participating retailers' websites and Swiftly-powered apps. Push notifications reach app users directly.

In-store. In-store digital displays are listed among UMN's channels, where a retailer has them.

Offsite and owned channels. Social media and email complete the list. A Swiftly case study describes a campaign that combined onsite and offsite media across several banners (Swiftly, accessed 9 November 2026). Which offsite platforms were used is not stated.

Swiftly sells apps, websites and digital circulars to grocers, and UMN runs on its personalization engine and analytics (P2PI, 28 May 2024). Campaigns run through each participating retailer's own channels. UNFI says those retailers keep ownership of their customer relationships.

What brands receive is reporting, not raw shopper files. The public sources do not describe a clean room or how data from different retailers is combined. Ask how audiences are defined when a campaign runs across banners with different apps.

Swiftly provides closed-loop measurement, linking an ad or offer to later purchases. Swiftly's chief technology officer, Sean Turner, said the aim is a "standard view of measurement" shared by brands and retailers.

The one published result is a vendor case study. A large national pet food brand ran onsite and offsite media across several UMN banners in Summer 2025. Swiftly reports $6.67 return on ad spend, 17.8% new-to-brand buyers and 63% first-time category buyers (vendor claims, Swiftly). We found no independent audit or industry accreditation.

1. Start with your UNFI contact. UMN is offered to UNFI's brand partners; no public self-serve sign-up was found.
2. Ask which banners are live. Get the list of participating retailers and their channels.
3. Match channels to the goal. Use app banners and push for trial, in-store displays for launches, email for loyal buyers.
4. Pair with a promotion. UMN supports campaigns and promotions together, so plan the offer with the media.
5. Agree the report. Confirm the attribution window, the ROAS definition and whether results are split by retailer.

It suits:

• natural, organic and specialty brands that sell through UNFI;
• brands that want reach across many independent grocers in one buy;
• independent grocers that want media income without their own sales team.

It suits less:

• brands that need a precise, fixed count of stores or shoppers;
• advertisers who require audited or accredited metrics;
• buyers who want self-serve tools.

• How many retailers and stores are live on UMN today.
• Self-serve access, minimum spend and pricing.
• Any UNFI disclosure of UMN revenue.
• Which offsite platforms UMN uses.
• UNFI's own UMN page, which could not be accessed.

1. UNFI and Swiftly, "United Natural Foods Launches National Retail Media Network for Independent and Regional Grocers in Partnership with Swiftly", release hosted by Swiftly (23 May 2024). https://swiftly.com/news/united-natural-foods-launches-national-retail-media-network-for-independent-and-regional-grocers-in-partnership-with-swiftly
2. Grocery Dive, "UNFI launches retail media network" (24 May 2024). https://www.grocerydive.com/news/unfi-launches-retail-media-network-swiftly/717066/
3. Path to Purchase Institute, "UNFI Rolls Out Retailer Media Network" (28 May 2024). https://p2pi.com/unfi-rolls-out-retailer-media-network
4. Swiftly, "Driving Meaningful Sales Across the UNFI Media Network for Pet Food Advertisers", case study (Summer 2025 campaign; accessed 9 November 2026). https://swiftly.com/case-studies/driving-meaningful-sales-across-the-unfi-media-network-for-pet-food-advertisers